There is much support for the use of light therapy to overcome light deficient disorders. It has been proven that treatments involving shining light directly towards a patient's eyes will alleviate or cure light deficient disorders including Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), circadian sleep disorders and circadian disruptions associated with jet-lag, shift-work, PMS and bulimia.
There are two types of light therapy devices presently available. One type of device is large in size and floor or desk mountable. These devices include light sources of fluorescent bulbs. Although they can be moved from one position to another, they are not generally portable. In addition, the light source is quite fragile. The second kind of light therapy devices is head mountable. These devices are formed as eyeglasses or visors. While they are portable, they are not generally accepted by patients for use in public because of their odd appearance when worn on the head. This combined with safety concerns about eye damage given the proximity of the light source to the eye, has resulted in head mountable treatment devices failing to be generally accepted as a light therapy device.
These devices therefore are of limited use for persons requiring a portable and discreet treatment device. A light therapy device is needed for use by, for example, the business traveler that is portable and aesthetically appealing.